Six recent stories that made us smile and chased away the rain:

1) 5 ways to get even cheaper in Europe

Christopher Cook, of noambit.com, posts this week in Vagabondish about “5 simple ways to beat your travel budget.” His tips are solid and speak to every Cheapo in Europe. In short: Eat cheaply, walk, be flexible with dates, consider more budget-friendly destinations, and think twice before paying for a museum. Nice tips, Chris!

2) 33-cent beers in Vietnam

We don’t normally cover destinations outside of Europe, but we’re following former EuroCheapo staffer TJ DiChristopher as he showcases his skills in Saigon, his new hometown. Today, TJ shares five ways he’s keeping it cheap in Saigon, from budget beer to iced green tea and pirated movies.

3) Italian tourists in Venice

Venice is really crowded right now. According to About.com’s James Martin who was in the canaled city last Saturday, Venice’s narrow streets are packed to overflowing. But with whom? Italians, who were celebrating the May Day weekend (a national holiday). Martin heard mostly the native language being spoken, and hardly any English. Just watch which boat you get on, James!

4) Hungry pigeons in St. Mark’s Square?

Speaking of Venice, Elisabetta Povoledo reported yesterday in the International Herald Tribune that the city has outlawed pigeon feeding in St. Mark’s Square. It turns out that the practice has been banned in the rest of the city for the past 11 years (who knew?), but had been allowed in St. Mark’s because of its iconic, photogenic role in the city’s history (and tourism trade). The result: Protesting birdseed sellers and a switch to feeding the birds potato chips. (We’ve heard that the switch hasn’t Ruffled any feathers…)

5) Daria Werbovy!

Thanks to Holly for correctly identifying the model in the new H&M ad across the street from our office. We couldn’t identify her when she was just a forehead… and, it now turns out, for good reason! Nice job, Holly. We’re sending out your copy today of the Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget.

6) American destinations from Smithsonian

Again, we don’t typically cover non-European locales, but we are loving this month’s (May 2008) issue of Smithsonian Magazine. The mag’s theme is “Destination America”. To croak—er name—a few stories: short takes on The Frog Festival in Rayne, Louisiana, the Chicago blues fest, and a fabulous feature on Acadia Country.  

Have a great weekend, Cheapos.

Brits are of course now labouring under a diet of cold turkey. Christmas generates its own extraordinary traditions across Europe, which differ greatly from country to country. There is no such thing as a standard-issue European Christmas. The English certainly like their turkey on the Christmas table, but elsewhere across the continent firm Christmas favourites include baked carp, goose, spicy hams, and roast lamb.

Christmas may have come and gone in western Europe, but we shouldn’t forget that as we move east across the continent, things change. The Orthodox Churches still organise their affairs according to the old Julian calendar, and Christmas is not celebrated in most of eastern Europe until early January. By the time Russians sit down to have their Christmas meal (on the evening of 6 January), most western and central European households have already taken down their Christmas decorations.

The festive season brings its own cast of secular characters. So in Russia and other eastern European countries, Ded Moroz, also known as Father Frost, rewards children with gifts. Ded Moroz lives in northern Russia (click here to read more), an unkempt spot on the Sukhona river that is attempting to cash in on Ded Moroz in much the same way that Rovaniemi in northern Finland has proclaimed its credentials as the unbelievably tacky and ultra-commercial hometown of Santa Claus. While Santa relies on a bunch of elves for assistance, Ded Moroz lucks out in having secured the services of the beautiful Snegurochka to help distribute gifts.

Globalisation may have inflected many aspects of our lives, but Christmas still throws up its own culturally-encoded customs and characters.

This is the last in a series of eight postings by Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, a Berlin-based duo who edit hidden europe magazine. They will return with more contributions to EuroCheapo in Spring 2008.

We don’t know about that “stays mainly in the plains” bit, but we’ll say with certainty that when it rains (in Spain) it pours—at least when it comes to artistic ventures. As bullfighting season draws to a close, the art scene is just revving up. Here are three main events to watch:

1. Thinking takes to the streets: For the first time ever August Rodin’s “The Thinker” has left its home in the Rodin Museum in Paris for an exhibition in the streets. The streets of Málaga and Granada, that is. On October 17, “The Thinker,” along with the six sculptures of the “Burghers of Calais” were unveiled Málaga’s old town. They’ll visit (under the watchful eyes of a 24 hour guard) until December 19; following their tenure in Málaga, they’ll grace the streets of Granada through January 27.

2. Cinema Paradiso: Film critics, mark your calendars! The Seville Film Festival opens on November 2 with The Lark Farm, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s World War I drama. The festival, which runs from November 2 until November 13, features only European films in its program of 150 titles from 30 countries.

3. Prado, Prado, Prado: There is much to be excited about at Madrid’s Prado Museum this fall. On October 31, Madrid’s majestic museum will unveil its new extension, and an exhibition of the museums best 19th-century works which have been in hiding for decade. As if that weren’t enough, in honor of its exciting news, the museum will be offering free admission on select dates and at select times.

Ah Spain, how we love thee.

Calling all Puccini lovers. It’s time to make a pilgrimage to Lucca to experience the 53rd annual Puccini Opera Festival, to experience opera as the master himself wanted to hear it. Started in 1930, following a 1924 letter from Puccini exclaiming his wish to hear his opera in the “open-”air,” the Puccini Opera Festival attracts 40,000 opera lovers a year to hear the music they lave in Lucca’s open-air theater just steps from where Puccini lived, worked and is buried.

This year’s festival is going on now, through August 16, with shows of Puccini’s greats, from Tosca to La Boheme. Puccini and beautiful Lucca. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Photo by dapop

France’s annual Fete de la Musique takes place on June 21. It’s one of our favourite festivals, a night-long feast of free live music and dance. This year, if you don’t feel like getting down with the crowds you can follow the whole thing from your computer at www.21juin2007.net, a special 24-hour internet radio broadcast from all over the world, complete with videos. For the first time, New York joins the roster of places (in more than 110 countries!) taking part.

Practical details: A special “Forfait Fete de la Musique” public transportation ticket will be on sale for €2.50, allowing unlimited use of the Ile de France network from Thursday, June 21 at 5 p.m. until Friday, June 22 at 7 a.m.

The program is available on the Fete’s site and it’s massive. In the Ile de France region alone there are 452 scheduled events.

Here are a few suggestions for Paris:

1. M° Republique: Acid house DJ Ken Ishii will be at the helm for a huge open-air dancefest featuring Scratch Massive and Jonathan Katsav in front of the bar Aux Templiers, at 18 rue Caffarelli, 75003. From 6 p.m. until midnight.

2. For those with children, a good bet is the Cite de la Musique in the 19th arrondissement, which will be running concerts and musical workshops for children from 5:30 p.m. through 10 p.m. 221 Ave Jean Jaures, M° Porte de Pantin.

3. M° Menilmontant will host a gypsy festival inspired by the movies of Emir Kusturica.

4. In the 16th, M° Iena, in front of the Musee Guimet, dancers will perform a selection of beloved Bollywood song and dance routines from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Karlsplatz in Vienna’s Fourth District, bordering the Inner District, is especially festive today through 8 p.m. What is being celebrated is Karlstag, which is basically a Karlsplatz openhouse. The visitors can storm the Secession and other museums in the vicinity and stay for longer hours. Best of all the entrance and tour guide are for free.

Karlstag also features a flea market, outside pubs and bars, workshops, and a program just for children at the Wien Museum called “Kinder Wirtshaft,” where the kids can roleplay as waiters serving customers. This correlates with the museum’s current exhibition, “Im Wirtshaus: Eine Geschichte der Wiener Geselligkeit,” a history of the Viennese pubs and their way of life.

Ending the fest will be an open-air free concert by the Vienna University of Technology Orchestra and Kollegium Kalksburg in front of the Karlskirche at 8 p.m.

Photo by Sacha QS

There are so many summer festivals in France that it’s hard to know where to begin. The abundance of festivals means that no matter where you are traveling in France, there is sure to be a festival happening somewhere nearby.

Here’s a brief rundown of the heavyweights. Most are big ticket events which tend to be booked out in advance, but don’t be afraid to go along for the “off” events, which fill the streets of beautiful historic towns with live performances showcasing up and coming talents.

Theatre: The Festival D’Avignon (6 July-27 July) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Avignon has a huge “off” festival playing in parallel with hundreds of free performances of dance, mime, puppetry, circus, and street theatre. So you don’t need to understand French to enjoy Avignon’s “off” festival! A budget hotel with an excellent central location for festival-goers is the Mercure Cite des Papes, at 1, rue Jean Vilar.

Opera: Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence (June 29 through July 22) is famous for lavish productions staged in magnificent outdoor settings, notably in the courtyard of the former archbishop’s palace. This year’s highlight is Leos Janacek’s “From the House of the Dead,” staged by Patrice Chereau and directed by Pierre Boulez.

Rock: Les Eurokeenes in the eastern town of Belfort (June 29 through July 1) is an institution. This year’s lineup includes Air, Phoenix, Antony and the Johnsons, Queens of the Stone Age, TV on the Radio, and Klaxons.

Photography: The Rencontres D’Arles (July 3 through September 16; see Arles above) is the photography rendez-vous of the season, with an eclectic selection, including the work of Spanish photographer Alberto Garcia-Alix.

Photo by Chris Kurkowski

The EXIT Festival has got to be one of the best deals for fun and live music in Europe this summer—just €78.50 for a four-day pass!

Set to take place in Novi Sad, the capital of the Serbian province of Vojvodina, the EXIT Festival’s line-up this year features more than 125 artists on six different stages, including the Beastie Boys. (Want to know how good the EXIT Festival entry deal is? You’d pay at least €60 to see the Beasties, along with Underworld and Madness, perform live this Saturday at the EJEKT Festival in Athens.)

Other EXIT performers include Frankie Knuckles—who will be making his first live appearance in Serbia—Lauryn Hill, Robert Plant, and Snoop Dogg. Quite a funky mix of musical madness.

The EXIT Festival is going down from July 12 to July 15. With the Petrovaradin Fortress providing the gorgeous background, this is a music fest not to be missed.

This is probably the biggest music festival in central London beyond the (BBC) Proms.

Tickets aren’t cheap. Day passes are going for £40. A two-day pass costs £75, a three-day pass costs £105, and a four-day pass costs £135.) So, yeah, not cheap. But we bet you could just walk by and enjoy yourselves, listening to The White Stripes, The Klaxons, Gotan Project, Air, LCD Soundsystem, Modest Mouse, Kaiser Chiefs, and many more.

Photo by Darklight Festival

The Darklight Festival is Dublin’s premiere festival for filmmakers, animators, and artists. The festival explores work that investigates the intersection of art, film, and technology. This year it will kick off on Friday, June 22.

In addition to screenings of digital filmmaking, a kids program, a symposium, lectures, workshops, and even virtual activities will round out the festival schedule.

If you are visiting from afar, the festival is happy to recommend hotels near the venues as well as distribute travel information about Dublin. Tickets can be pre-booked, and special student rates will apply if you can produce a valid student identity card when you collect your tickets.